August 2, 2017

They defeated an Obamacare repeal bill despite Trump’s pleas. They’re ignoring his Twitter demands that they get back to work on the repeal measure. They dissed the White House budget director, defended the attorney general against the president’s attacks and passed veto-proof sanctions on Russia over his administration’s objections.

They’re reasserting their independence, which looked sorely diminished in the aftermath of Trump’s surprise election win.

“We work for the American people,” Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina said Tuesday. “We don’t work for the president.”

Those are surprisingly tough words from a Republican whose state Trump won easily less than a year ago. But after six months of controversies and historically low approval ratings, it’s clear Trump isn’t commanding the fear or respect he once did.

The old joke says, “Every Senator looks in the mirror and sees a President.” It’s a joke because it’s funny, but it’s still around because there’s truth to it. With this much unrest, will Trump get a primary challenger from the Senate?

UPDATE (FROM GLENN): On my short-list for potential constitutional amendments is a ban on Senators becoming President. It would probably improve the presidency, and it would definitely improve the Senate.